


In This World

by okkaaaaayyy



Category: youtube - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Fighting, I don't mention them much, Jack doesn't show up for a while, M/M, Minor Anxiety, Post-Apocalypse, Superpowers, There are some other youtubers, a lot of minor characters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-25
Updated: 2017-04-13
Packaged: 2018-09-26 10:02:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 14,276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9885377
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/okkaaaaayyy/pseuds/okkaaaaayyy
Summary: Mark thinks he's the only person on the Earth for a moment.But that's before the introduction of superpowers, teams in the city, and especially Jack.





	1. Chapter 1

To say that Mark was antsy would be an understatement. Right now he felt like the living embodiment of anxiety. His leg was uncontrollably bouncing in place, his fingers drumming, his breath coming out in something that resembled short gasps more than anything actually getting in air. His heart raced in his chest, and the slight urge to throw up, which had been with him all day, had escalated into full blown nausea. 

He briefly wondered if he was coming down with something, but other than the nausea he had no other symptoms. And sure, it was uncommon for him to get anxious like this, but everyone could have an off day occasionally. 

Besides, it didn’t seem like he was the only one feeling a strange sense of paranoia. Everyone in his small town was staying inside today; the store keepers he had seen were jittery and didn’t seem to appreciate his company, and his brother and parents, usually overjoyed when he visited home, were distressed. Even the sky seemed to reflect everyone’s feelings; it was grey and unwelcoming, with dark clouds covering the sun. 

Overall, it was decidedly not a good day. 

He hadn’t expected it to get worse, however. Unfortunately, it did, and by the end of the day cloudy skies would be the least of his troubles. 

Mark honestly didn’t remember that much, or at least not that much compared to what other people remembered. He had been sitting outside, on the porch, wallowing in his anxious misery when it happened. A bright flash that seemed to expand across everything - the clouds, and under those, the stars, the earth, his house and his neighbor’s houses. Everything was white and empty and blank and everything hurt and then he didn’t remember anything else. 

He was almost glad he couldn’t remember the rest of the story, because he felt like it might have been painful, but on the down side it also made waking up even more confusing. 

Mark woke up and everything was white again, but only for a moment. Remembering the blast of emptiness before he passed out, he figured his eyes were adjusting to the normal amount of color again. And then he really got to look around, and he kind of wished that the blank canvas would return. 

Everything was in smoking ruin. Homes he’d grown up with were smoldering, there were cracks in the pavement (which, to be honest, had never been the best quality anyway, riddled with potholes and the like), and the local forest had practically burned down. The porch under him wasn’t a porch anymore, it was a few pieces of broken and charred wood. And holy shit the house he had grown up in for all of his life was nearly completely destroyed. The windows were broken, and the frames bent and distorted. Parts of the house were missing, leaving other parts leaning with the weight of things that were previously supported. The place was crumbling, and made strange noises, like it was about to fall over. 

He knew he should do it, but Mark walked inside, feeling numb, like it was even real, like he’d wake up in a few seconds if he pinched himself hard enough. He was looking for something - someone; his family, he thought. They’d been in the house when it happened, they had to be there, because if they weren’t there then that meant - 

Mark woke up. 

His heart was hammering away in his chest, his breath coming out shallow and fast. He sat up, groggy, rubbing his eyes with shaking hands, trying to calm his breathing. He laid back down, closed his eyes again, even knowing he wouldn’t fall asleep again that night. 

Nights were hard like that, he thought. Ever since it had happened, he kept reliving it in his dreams; every time he closed his eyes he saw a broken house or white emptiness all around him. Maybe if he had someone with him, he could talk about it, but even that relief wasn’t going to be granted to him anytime soon. 

Sometimes he wondered if he was the only person who survived the blast. He couldn’t find anyone in his neighborhood; bodies and memories erased just like that. His family, he was almost sure, had suffered the same fate, but he also couldn’t bring himself to think like that. After only a few weeks (or at least that’s how long he thought it had been) the wound was still as fresh as it had been before. 

Either way, Mark had yet to find anyone else. He was lonely, and couldn’t bear the thought of being all alone for the rest of his life; he’d sooner die himself than never talk to another human being. The only way he’d been coping was by walking, seemingly endlessly in one direction he remembered led to the city. If he could make it there then maybe he’d run into another person, maybe find someone to help him. 

Coincidentally that was also the only thing getting him through the sleepless nights of hunger. Now a days there was always a pain in his stomach, and if that didn’t keep him awake then the prospect of making up from another nightmare did. Finding food was hard with everything destroyed and broken and empty. 

Mark wasn’t equipped for this, not even a little bit. He didn’t know how to deal with being hungry until it hurt, or being alone, or being scared to sleep. So, using the one skill Mark seemed to have left, he stayed hopeful, and kept walking.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark finally gets to the city, along with some humans residing there.

When he saw the outline of the city at last, he nearly jumped for joy. After walking for what could have been days (at least it felt like days), this development was welcome to say the least. Also on the brighter side of the post-apocalyptic world, he was sleeping a little better because he was so tired from walking. Often he was so exhausted he fell into a dreamless sleep at the end (it could also be the beginning or end of the day; his sense of time was down the drain, especially with the thick cloud cover that kept the sky dark these days) of the day. 

Regardless to say, he felt a little better at his chance of survival. Today might even be the day he found other people, he hyped himself up. If he had a little more energy he probably would’ve run and jumped the rest of the short way to his destination, but even with his elation, the same exhaustion still gripped him, unwilling to let go. 

The buildings were all cracked and damaged at least a little bit; the levels of destruction varied from each one. Some had been reduced to nothing more than piles of rubble, and some only had a few walls left standing, nearly on the verge of collapse. But hey, Mark wasn’t going to complain. If only one or two people survived in his small town, then the more densely populated city was bound to have another person in it. 

As he wandered the streets, though, he didn’t find any signs of human life. He poked his head in the buildings he could, only to find nothing there. There was no sounds other than a strong wind that somehow seemed to blow from all directions, seemingly whistling in his ears. He shivered, unsettled. It was like a ghost town here, he thought. 

His hopes were plummeting with the temperature as he assumed it got later in the day. 

And then he heard a noise. 

It was a small noise, at least from where he was in regards to it. But that wasn’t important, right now, because this was an actual noise generated by something that wasn’t wind. He didn’t care if it was an animal or a person, as long as it was something. He was running full speed, thinking of all the possibilities. Of course, another human would be the best case scenario, but he wouldn’t even care if it was an animal or something. Mark had always loved animals anyway, asking his parents over and over for a dog, and loving the dog as much as any human when they’d finally gotten one. 

He haphazardly rounded another corner, and suddenly the noise was right there. It was pounding in his ears as he skidded to a halt, dust flying with the movement. 

Best case scenario; there were people. But. . . People fighting. People fighting with special effects? What else could it be, he thought as he struggled to comprehend the scene in front of him. 

A man with blonde hair with electric sparks jolting all around him. Another with brown hair dyed green who appeared to be blurring at the edges, darting back and forth. The tension in the air was thick enough to cut with a knife. The dizzying images combined with his sprint to get there, Mark suddenly felt like he couldn’t fathom standing for a second longer. His legs gave out of him just as he made a strangled noise in the back of his throat. 

Well shit, he thought as both men’s heads jerked in his direction. 

If they were fighting that meant they were probably hostile, his thoughts flew in his head at lightning speed. What if they hurt him? Oh God, what if they killed him? 

“Well would you look at that,” the blonde one spoke with an accent, tilting his head like a confused puppy, “I don’t recognize this guy from either of our sides.” The man took a step forward and Mark had to resist the urge to scoot further away. 

“Not anyone I know,” the other admitted, and Mark could make out a different but equally puzzling accent to the words. As both men took more steps towards him, Mark got up on shaky legs. He had to be ready to run in case these guys attacked. 

“I-um. . .” He could’ve said anything, anything at all to help his case (whatever his case actually was), but he choked on the words and they died in his throat, and all he could do was swallow thickly. 

Suddenly three things happened all at once, and, as in as much of a daze as he was, Mark’s brain just gave up and barely processed any of it. The first thing he saw was a blast of bright blue, almost white, jagged light burst from the blonde man in the direction of the other. The next was the blonde rushing forward, towards him. The last was the shriek of: “Welp, I call dibs!” and then the feel of a hand grabbing his wrist, jerking him forward. 

“Hurry up,” The guy shouted almost gleefully as they ran, “that won’t hold him up for long!” Mark didn’t respond - to be honest, probably couldn’t if he tried. He heard a sound of outrage in the background, and looked behind him worriedly. The green haired man stood, visibly angry even at the distance they were from him. His arms were at his side, fists clenched, and, although it could have been Mark’s eyes playing tricks on him, the edges of his body appeared to be blurring again. 

Right when his breath was starting to come in short gasps, they stopped, leaning against one of the walls of a half crushed building. The man, still with a firm, almost crushing, grip on Mark’s wrist, led him through a hole in the wall that led to a whole semi hidden section of buildings. “Don’t worry about good old Septic; he doesn’t know half of the secret passages that I do,” The blonde said with an obvious sense of pride. 

“I. . . What?” He was still catching his breath, and was beyond confused at this point. 

“Oh right! If you just got here then that means you’re probably from somewhere outside the city. . . You must be so confused!” Mark was about to respond, but the other powered ahead before he could. “You can ask questions later; for now we should probably get to the base first.” The other let go of Mark’s wrist and began walking. What else could Mark do but follow?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, second chapter! As a warning, I don't know if I'm getting personalities and things like that right, so you can tell me if I failed completely or not.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark meets a new friend who begins to explain some things to him.

“Alright, well I’m gonna hand you off to Dan. I’ve got to be off, but if you ever need to talk to me for any reason, Dan’ll tell you where to find me.” And with that the man was of, without Mark even learning his name or distinguishing where he was from. 

And it was then that Mark realized he had absolutely no idea where he was supposed to go. Did “handing him off to Dan” mean he had to find Dan or that Dan would find him? Should he just wait here? He decided that that was probably the best course of action, and looked around at the “base” to pass the time. 

The base seemed to be about the only intact building in the whole city, and even so, Mark had the nagging feeling that it was going to fall over at any moment. Still, the place had a sense of strength about, the only standing feature left. It front of it was a thick patch of trees, also standing despite the wreck. The room he was in right now had a few chairs and tables, and a few people milling around, most, if not all, looking suspiciously at him. The blonde man had exited up some stairs, and Mark wondered what was up there for a moment. 

His musings were interrupted by the introduction of another person. “Hey, are you the new guy?” A man now in front of Mark asked, a lopsided smile on his face. “I mean, silly question; I’ve never seen you, you must be new.” The man immediately amended, looking almost painfully awkward. “I’m Dan, your certified guide,” He smiled at Mark, who instantly felt more relaxed; Dan was certainly easy enough to be around. Along with this, he was tall and lanky, with dark brown hair styled in a fringe. The obvious British accent only added to his likability. His dark clothes were messy in a way that was kind of charming, more like an extension of his personality than an issue of living in a post apocalyptic world. 

“Mark,” he managed, tore from his thoughts as Dan sat down. He followed the other’s lead and sat carefully. 

"So, it’s my job to inform you. I could start at the beginning, but no one really knows it.” Dan’s voice was quiet now. “Something bad happened, for sure; bright lights, bam, everything’s gone. But I’m sure you know that already know that, surviving in it all alone for a month or so.” Mark appreciated how Dan skipped over the event that practically ended humanity; it was a sore subject for everyone. 

“Alright, so while you were elsewhere, here in the good ol' city people started fighting over land and resources. I personally don’t know why; we could’ve just worked together, but you know. . . So anyway we divided into two groups, one with Felix at the lead -that’s the guy you came in with- and one with a fellow called Septic at the head. There’s been a few fights, nothing too big. Basically whichever group you saw first you joined, and that’s how most of us ended up here.” 

“That was. . . certainly a lot to take in. . .” 

“Sorry if I went too fast. I can go over it again if you’d like?” 

“No, it’s fine; I just need some time to think it over.” 

Dan nodded in understanding, a sympathetic smile on his face. Mark wondered how many new recruits had walked in here and had said the same thing. 

“Just, ah. . . I’ve got one question. Alright, so don’t act like I’m crazy because this totally sounds crazy, but. . . I think I saw Felix shoot lightning out of his body, and that. . . that Septic guy, he was totally blurred on the edges. It was weird.” 

Dan stared at him. Mark began to get ready for the repercussions of his sudden outburst. Maybe they’d kick him out, call him names, something bad. 

“You mean you don’t know?” Dan’s voice was full of disbelief, his eyes wide. But at least he wasn’t acting like Mark was crazy. “Uh. . . No?” 

“Oh well, um, that’s. . . Odd? I don’t know how you could possibly get this far without realizing it.” Dan sucked in a deep breath before continuing. “Everyone that survived the blast has some sort of power.” He said it like it was nothing, but to Mark it couldn’t have sounded more unbelievable. Even with his first hand account of Felix’s powers being used, he still couldn’t quite wrap his mind around it. 

“Powers?” Was all he could manage to say, trying to ignore how his voice has taken on a higher pitch than normal. 

“Yeah; they vary though. Felix, like you saw, can generate electricity to some degree. Septic can run faster than anything anyone’s ever seen. I can kinda control my own shadow. Calvin can shapeshift. It could be anything, but anyone who lived has them.” 

“How come I don’t have any?” Mark found himself asking, almost absently. He was still taking in the fact that everyone had powers. 

“Well, you probably do; sometimes they’re pretty weird powers. Maybe you just have something unnoticeable. I swear I didn’t notice mine until, like, two weeks after it happened.” Despite the reassuring tone, the words did little to ease his nerves. “Either way, we’ll get you set up. Maybe we can spend a few days trying to figure out what your power is? I’m sure Felix’ll allow it.” 

Mark may have had more questions frothing around in his mind, but he couldn’t find it in him to ask any of them. The rest of the day was basically him following Dan around, learning the parts of the buildings, seeing his room, and sort of meeting people. Nobody really said anything meaningful to him, except for names (which really just went in one ear and out the other anyway.) By the end of the day all he could do was collapse in a worn out bed that was now his, once again sleeping without any dreams at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so, chapter 3! Let me just thank anyone who comments something below; the ones on chapter 1 and 2 were really nice and made me smile. I'm glad people like this! Also, as a note, for the past three days I've posted each day because I've had a lot of time to write, but the posting may slow down a little now. Thank you for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark tries to figure out his own power with the help of Dan and Phil.

Mark woke up feeling slightly better. The thick feeling that had clouded his brain yesterday had slightly cleared. He was still having trouble wrapping the idea of super powers around his head. How could this be his life now, when everything had been so normal before? The thoughts nagged at him, but for now he was content to just lay there with his eyes closed and his mind empty. 

His brief reprieve didn’t last long, however. Before he could really relax, a quiet knocking came at the door. Mark shot out of bed like a rocket, his body still jumpy. “Yes?” He hesitantly asked, standing up and walking to the door. 

“It’s me, Dan!” A voice called, seemingly cheerful. Mark, curious now, opened the door to find Dan and another man standing there. “Oh, and Phil too! We’re gonna keep showing you the works today.” 

Mark looked up the newly dubbed Phil, who was just as tall as Dan. His hair was styled in a black fringe, facing the opposite direction of Dan’s. His eyes were bright and blue, and a large smile graced his face. “I’m Phil! Nice to meet you!” He spoke, voice cheerful and thick with the same British accent. He reached out with his hand to shake Phil’s outstretched one. "Mark, and you too." 

“Anyway,” Dan interrupted, “Felix gave us permission to help you out with your powers, so that’s what we’ll do today.” Mark was curious, following the taller men down the stairs. “How will we do that?” Dan shrugged. “Well, we can test certain powers certain ways, and Phil’s pretty good at using his, so he might be able to draw it out of you?” The questioning way the other said it did not make Mark feel very confident. 

“You two have no idea what you’re doing, do you?” He joked dryly, glad when the two laughed. “We try.” Phil joked back. 

Mark was glad for the laughter. On top of not hearing it in so long, it made him feel better in a way. He could almost pretend things were back to normal and he was joking back at home with his brother or friends. 

By now they were outside the building, next to the miniature forest. It could have been Mark’s imagination, but he swore he saw the vines hanging off the trees twist when they walked by. Phil led them to the back of the building, where there was an empty, desolate parking lot just waiting to be used again. The white paint lines were faded and peeling and there were too many cracks in the pavement to count. 

“Alright, so if you haven’t discovered your power yet, then it’s probably something you wouldn’t need to use a lot. Or maybe you just need someone to point it out for you” Phil started explaining. “We’ll test a few things in various ways, and if that doesn’t work I’ll give you a few tips that work for me when I need to use my power.” 

“Alright. . . But wait, where’s Da-” Before he could finish his sentence, he felt two hands suddenly grip his shoulders, along with the accompanying “Boo!” “AHH! What the fuck!?” He screamed, gripping his heart, feeling it pound at an unnaturally fast pace beneath his hand. Dan emerged from behind him, looking apologetic. “Sorry; a lot of powers happen when you get really surprised. Like with Felix, if you sneak up on him, lightning’ll shoot out at you and you’ll get fried before you know it.” 

“And hey, don’t worry about that scream; Danny’s screamed way higher at way less. I swear I’ve never met someone who falls off of furniture more than him.” Phil smiled at him before looking teasingly at Dan. Despite his scare, mark couldn’t help smiling at the way Dan blushed and sputtered, finally hitting Phil’s shoulder in response. 

The next test required sitting criss-cross on the ground, closing his eyes, and trying to be calm. He’d never been very good at meditation; his thoughts wouldn’t settle down in his head and he mostly just ended up sitting on the floor for no reason before giving up twelve minutes later. This was no exception, and after what couldn’t have been more than three minutes he was opening his eyes to a wonderful sight. 

Phil, who had sat down across from him, had a look of blissful peace on his pale face, beautifully green plants winding and twisting their way down his arms as they grew. One vine reached his hand, and at the end, right in his palm, grew a vibrant orange flower. Mark couldn’t help looking on in wonder as the bud opened and the color unfurled, along with more flowers now all along his arms. He looked over at Dan next to him, who looked at Phil with warm eyes and a soft smile, obviously happy just to watch. 

They just stayed like that for awhile, even when Phil opened his eyes, smiling. Sitting in the semi-circle with two people Mark was beginning to call friend's was nicer than he ever could have imagined it being. 

After that test, also failed, Mark glumly reminded himself, they continued on with some others, all of which also turned up failures. They decided to head back after those were over. The sky, cloudy as ever, gave up no signs of what time of day it could be, but Mark had the feeling it was getting to be night. The absence of the sun would have went along nicely with the failure, although he supposed that was too pessimistic thinking for someone who at least had a home now. 

As Dan and Phil joked quietly, Mark let the world around him distract him. As they made their way around the building the trees started appearing again, and Mark took into note how they really did seem to bloom and grow even more as Phil walked past. The vibrant greens and purples of the flowers were in stark contrast with the rest of the world, gray and lifeless. 

Suddenly, he heard a noise. It sounded like a crack, or a snap. Time seemed to slow as he looked around, seeing a chunk of rock from high up on the building break off and falling down, down, down. . . His eyes traced it as it moved, his brain giving off warning signals as he saw where it was heading. Phil. Phil, who had tried to help him today. Phil, who could make the prettiest of nature appear at a whim. Phil, who made Dan smile a soft smile that somehow seemed special. 

Time resumed as normal and he was rushing forward before he could even think. He pushed both the others out of the way and raised his arms, ready to catch the rubble, despite knowing that he couldn’t. Realizing the possible repercussions of his sudden action, Mark clenched his eyes closed, preparing to become a pancake on the pavement. He had no idea how much time had passed, waiting for the pain of tons of rock making impact with his flesh. 

“-rk! Mark! Mark, can you hear us!?” He heard the voices of both Dan and Phil muffled in the background, and opened his eyes to find their concerned eyes staring at him. The brown of Dan’s eyes were shining with either awe or happiness, while Phil’s held a more worried tone. 

“W-what?” He stuttered, confused. What had even happened? Everything had happened so fast. . . 

“You caught it! You caught it and you’re holding it now!” Dan jumped up and down as he spoke, now sure that Mark wasn’t grievously injured or anything. Mark looked up in awe to see his arms holding up the piece of a building at least half his size, the limbs not even shaking at all. 

“Well I guess we figured out what power you have,” Phil said with a shaky smile. As they headed back, none of them said anything about what had almost happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was hard to write, and to me it kind of feels worse than the previous three. But hey, I like the turn of events, and I finally got to revealing Mark's power (which is super strength, if you couldn't tell.)   
> Feedback is greatly appreciated, and thanks for reading!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark gets to go on his first real mission.

Ever since Mark had found out what his power was (which he was still reeling from, shocking as it was), he’d gotten to know how things worked around the base even more. There were people who went out to find supplies every week, and others who guarded and maintained the base while they gone. Felix made decisions with the consent of everyone else, also occasionally pitching in with missions and the like. 

He’d also gotten to know the actual people better. He’d even started to remember names, an almost impossible feat with all the thoughts scrambling for attention in his mind. 

A few memorable ones included Calvin, the one Dan had mentioned. He was around Mark’s height (a refreshing fact after hanging out with two incredibly tall people), and was kind of extremely aggressive a lot of the time. He could turn into a lizard at will, and had the tendency to hiss at people. There was Arin, who was very friendly and fun to joke around with, although Mark couldn’t remember his special ability for the life of him. Among others there was Ethan, who had fading electric blue hair, and Marzia, who was Felix’s Italian girlfriend. 

All in all, he thought he was fitting in well enough. He hung out with Dan and Phil when he could, and even learned where their rooms were. And hey, if someone could say he had no real connections other than that, then at least they couldn’t say anyone despised him. 

He found himself happy enough doing the small and repetitive tasks he busied himself with. He learned how to guard decently, with the help of a guy named Nate with a power over sound. He tried not to create that big of a splash around the place, but did joke around at dinner when he could. 

He also befriended Bob and Wade, who quickly became his best friends there. Occasionally they would meet up with Ethan and just laugh over stupid things. It was nice, and Mark found himself falling into an absurd schedule. 

And then came the day for his first real mission. He was assigned to go out with a group of people (none of which he knew except for Felix) and look for supplies. He supposed it had to happen something, seeing as he had been with the group for about a week and a half, but that did nothing to ease the tangle of nerves in his stomach. 

Anxious, Mark stayed off to the edge of the group, following everyone else’s lead. Felix walked in the front, confident in everything he did. The rest of the people talked and laughed quietly, but all seemed on edge as well, prepared for anything. Mark wondered if they would run into the other group, who also apparently went on supply runs. 

That did nothing to improve his thoughts, already heading down a metaphoric gutter of despair. He tried to stop thinking, and put his mind at ease for a little bit by focusing on walking. Just one foot in front of the other; something simple and easy. 

Felix interrupted his thoughts with the statement of: “Alright, so we’re gonna head out to the borders of the city; there might be some supplies over there.” Everyone nodded their agreement, including Mark, eager to have a destination. It would be a long walk and they might be gone for two days, or at least late into the night of this one. 

As they walked the group fell quiet, breaking the silence occasionally when checking buildings or pointing something out. It seemed that nobody was in the mood for talking, and Mark assumed that missions were taken pretty seriously. 

There was a slight wind blowing, teasing his hair (which was longer than he usually let it get) into little tangled knots. He raked his hand through his hair as he checked a building. Empty, he noted with a sigh. No wonder they had to go out so far for food; the houses were completely cleaned out. What would happen, he wondered, when everywhere was devoid of food. 

In the corner of his eye, Mark noticed something in the building. It looked like a shadow of some sort, blurring in his mind until he was sure that nothing had been there at all. He shook his head, chalking it up to his eyes playing tricks on him. Ignoring a nagging in the back of his mind, Mark made his way back outside and rejoined the group. If anything, walking was easier than analysing his own brain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy, I'm also not very proud of this chapter(not to mention it's shorter than the others), but I'm excited for the next one, so hopefully that'll make up for it when I post it.   
> Thank you all very much for comments and kudos!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark is faced with a dilemma upon waking up.

They took a break and set up camp when it got too dark to see, the sun presumably setting under the clouds. All around him Mark could hear the soft breathing and snores of those around him, peaceful among their friends. He hadn’t been able to sleep, instead opting to stay staring at the darkness above him, thoughts running through his head. 

To say the least, he wasn’t very well rested when the sky began to light. He didn’t complain, though, already knowing there was nothing he could do about it. The time passed in a blur, and by the time they got to their destination, Mark was running on autopilot, exhausted as he was. 

The group split into pairs and searched for supplies. Felix chose to go with Mark, which made him smile a little, because he still wanted to get to know the other man. As the looked in the now sparser buildings, Felix raised an eyebrow at him. “Mark, are you feeling okay? You look a little. . . Hmm. . . Dead on the inside?” There was a definite joking tone to the question, but Mark didn’t miss the note of concern as well. 

He laughed a little, brushing it off. “That would about describe it. Trouble sleeping.” 

“Ah,” was all the other said, with a slight knowing look in his eyes. 

Afterwards they mostly just continued their search in companionable silence. And hey, even though he wasn’t really getting to know Felix, at least he was spending time with him. They found a few small things in each house, and they became adding up. Mark couldn’t wait to see what everybody’s efforts combined would yield. 

Even still, Mark wasn’t feeling very productive. His head felt like it was full of a thick fog, choking and suffocating his senses until all he was was a walking zombie, nearly incapable of thought. He was loathe to take a break though; he knew he would feel undeserving if he did so, letting others do the hard work for him. He really wanted to contribute in any way he could. 

However, Felix seemed to notice his addled state even more as they continued on. Eventually, he finally sighed and spoke. “Hey, we’re almost done; do you want to take a break and catch up on some sleep for a little while?” 

Part of Mark wanted to thank Felix for the escape route, but the other half firmly forced him to keep going. All he did was shake his head silently. “I’d feel bad.” He muttered, stifling a yawn. 

“Eh. . . It’s all right; no one’ll care, I’m sure, and I don’t care if they do anyway. Why don’t you just lay down on this nice rock and take a little nap.” Felix reassured once again, and Mark couldn’t find it within himself to argue anymore. He nodded blearily and let himself be led to a spot on the floor. Falling asleep was so easy now, he thought, wondering why it couldn’t be like this when he was actually supposed to be sleeping. 

\-------- 

Mark woke up with a gasp, his eyes snapping open to a cracked ceiling above him. He had been dreaming about something, he knew, but couldn’t remember what for the life of him. Whatever it was, it had been enough to shock him out of sleep, though. 

He quickly remembered what he had been doing; helping Felix look for supplies on the mission. Felix had let him take a short break, but Mark had no idea where he was now. He had probably left to go search some nearby buildings. Mark found the things he’d scavenged earlier next to him, and snatched them up, stretching his back as he stood. 

Mark was surprisingly relaxed; the extra sleep had done him well. However, the minute he walked outside instantly changed his mood. The sky was slowly getting visibly darker. 

When they’d gotten there it had been early in the day, from what Mark could tell. It couldn’t possibly be that late, unless. . . Unless he had slept for far longer than he was supposed to. 

Felix was supposed to wake him, wasn’t he? Would he have intentionally left Mark? Was he so much of a burden that they had decided to let him fend for himself? Or maybe, he tried to rationalize, Felix had just forgotten him. Dan had told Mark that their leader was forgetful at the best of times. 

But still, what was he supposed to do? Could he wait here until they came back for him? Should he start walking back to the base? But he didn’t even know how to get there from here, and also the steadily darkening sky wouldn’t allow for anything like that. 

He was about to decide that the only logical solution in sight was to just curl up into a ball in the middle of the rode and give in to his despair, when his eyes picked up on something. A blur, he thought, moving too fast to see an actual solid object. 

Mark hugged himself tighter, ready to be eaten by the first ever mutant in the new world or something. The blur circled around him in increasing smaller circles, and Mark’s ears were filled with a loud whooshing, coming from all sides. 

Right as he was about to start swinging or something stupid like that, the blur slowed down, stopping right in front of him. When Mark’s brain allowed his eyes to catch up with the object, he noticed it was another man, a little shorter than him, and also very clearly the man Felix had been fighting. The other grinned, and Mark started to notice the unnecessary close proximity between them. 

“Need a little help there, friend?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As someone who has only watched a handful of Pewdiepie videos, I have no idea weather his memory is good or bad. Let's just chalk this one up to being the biggest plot convenience in the world. . .   
> Thanks for any comments and kudos!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark and Septic have a little chat, having nothing else to do.

Mark didn’t say anything, not trusting himself to not make an embarrassing noise in front of the stranger. He quickly stepped back, blushing and needlessly brushing off nonexistent dust from his pants. If it was even possible, the other’s - Septic, Mark reminded himself - grin grew larger, his bright eyes shining with glee. 

“What’s wrong; cat got your tongue?” The accent was much easier to decipher than Felix’s had been, and Mark picked up on the thick Irish lilt almost without thinking. 

“I-no. . . What are you doing here?” Mark fumbled over his words, although he had begun to regain his posture already. 

“The proper question would be what are you doing here? Looks like your group left hours ago.” 

“Well, I mean. . .” Mark didn’t know what to say, taking a moment to organize his thoughts, “why are you just. . . standing there, talking? Shouldn’t you take advantage of this incredibly obvious chance to attack the enemy?” 

Septic was silent for a moment, as if pondering. “Well, I guess I was following your supply party for a similar reason to that. . . But you see a guy alone, all confused and cute, and well, you kind of feel bad for him.” 

Mark flushed at the “cute” comment but decided to disregard it. “Besides, it’s not like you’re the ‘enemy, really. . .” This next part was mumbled into the ground, almost as if it wasn’t meant for Mark to hear. 

“So what, are you going to help me?” He asked, at this point beyond caring that he was practically working with the very force he was supposed to oppose. “You can’t really be helped, at this point; it’s dark already. You’ll just have to wait out the night, which is easy enough, and I decided to give you a little company.” 

“What if I don’t want your company?” Mark asked uneasily, unsure, although he supposed as long as the other didn’t hurt him, it would be okay. 

“Well you can’t really outrun me, and it’s almost too dark to see, so. . .” 

“Got it, not really an option.” He sighed, before trudging back to the building he had been sleeping in earlier. Septic following him in, looking curiously at the bland interior of the shelter. The two sat down in silence for a while, Mark hugging his knees as Septic tapped his fingers lightly on the ground. 

“So why do you want to ‘keep me company?’” Mark suddenly inquired, eager to break the silence. 

“Well, I always think about the ones Pewds gets to first, you included. I kinda see you and the others like you as a missed opportunity for a friend. Not to mention I’m curious enough to want to get to know you; you looked interesting.” 

Mark snorted at the explanation, thinking it over in his head. He wondered if Felix felt the same way about the ones Septic got on his side. 

"It’s funny,” the other spoke with a faint smile on his lips, one that didn’t quite reach his eyes, “back before all this happened, I hated talking to most people. I mean, I just had trouble starting conversations, making friends, that kind of thing. . . But now, I risk it all just to talk to new people.” 

Mark was hesitant to add his piece to the topic. It was such a serious one to talk about with someone he didn’t know. 

“Everything feels so different now,” he finally said, sighing as he did so. “I try not to think about it too much.” 

A short quiet filled the room as the sky darkened, and Mark was worried they would sit there all night, not sleeping, not talking, just laying there. He didn’t want that; it would be too uncomfortable, he thought. However, after only a short time it became clear that that wasn’t going to happen. Septic had cracked a joke - a bad one, not funny at all, and Mark, tired as he was, laughed. 

They began to exchange the bad jokes, and soon transitioned into easy topics of video games and home lands and people they knew and once knew. Mark was surprised that he had just met this person; it felt like they’d known each other for a long while. He swallowed; he didn’t even know this man’s name, and for all he knew, Septic could be tricking Mark, taking advantage of him. 

He tried not to think of it, which became easier and easier as he felt his eyes start to droop closed and his words start to slur with tiredness. 

“You don’t seem as bad as everyone makes you out to be, after all. . .” 

The words popped out his mouth without consent, and he almost shocked himself awake when he heard them aloud. The question had been brewing in the back of his mind, but he wouldn’t normally have said it. 

Septic chuckled. “Hey, in the end of it all, at the very basis of who we are, we’re all just people. Just because I fight with Pewds more often than not doesn’t mean I’m a bad guy.” 

The words had such a honest ring to them, that Mark didn’t even have to think about it to deem them true.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my gosh, this chapter is literally ALL dialogue. But you know, at least Jack has entered the story now, although I'm not sure if I'm going to get his character right. . . But anyway, thanks for any comments and kudos and reads! I really appreciate it all!  
> Fun fact: I was going to post this last night, cause that's when I finished it, but my mentality of sleep is for the weak failed me and I went to bed.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As they get back to the inner city, Jack and Mark chat more, and decide on something.

Mark woke up first the next day. His eyes opened slowly, and although his back felt awful after two nights of sleeping on the ground, he felt well rested. He wondered why it had been so easy to fall asleep for once, but he would take it where he could, weather or not it made sense or not. 

His eyes drifted over to the man asleep next to him. Septic was still so mysterious and odd, but as he slept, he looked more human than ever, and Mark’s thoughts flashed back to his words to night before. Why was Mark being so trusting of a man he didn’t know at all? But then again, why couldn’t they be friends? There wasn’t a harm in it unless something happened, and Mark would do his best to make sure that didn’t happen. 

He smiled a little at the other, but turned away from Septic after another moment. Instead, he looked out the crumbling door frame, actual door long gone, and into the sky. It was always somewhat dark with the cloud cover, but Mark liked to imagine the sun was making an effort to poke through and shine. For now, light could only filter through the clouds to Earth, but sitting there right then, he could see a bright summer day in his mind. 

That would be the day, he thought, and imagined Phil’s forest blooming with the increase of sun, growing bigger and bigger and more vibrant as it did so. 

His thoughts were interrupted by the slight groan from beside him as Septic woke up. Mark half expected a witty comment from the other man, although he didn’t get one. The other seemed too subdued by sleep to say much of anything. 

They sat like that for awhile, with Septic waking up and Mark staring out the door, still thinking. Eventually the other man got up, wiping his hands on his pants and holding out a hand for Mark to take. Mark let the other pull him up, and they walked out of the house. 

“Ready to walk all day, aye?” Septic asked with his big smile back in place. 

“Not really,” Mark stretched as he spoke, “Couldn’t you just run back super fast, if that’s your power?” 

“Ehh, I like the company; my buddies won’t miss me for awhile anyway. . .” 

“Disappearing a common trait for you?” Mark joked. 

Septic lightly punched him, letting out a chuckle. 

Mark sucked in a breath. “By the way, what’s your name? Everyone back at the base calls you Septic.” 

“Really? I thought they would’ve figured it out by now.” Septic mused. “It’s Jack. How about yours?” 

“Mark.” 

They were quiet for awhile more, both lost in their own thoughts. Mark thought it was nice to have a name for Sept - Jack - at last. In fact, his whole mind seemed to be occupied by the other man as they walked. They were friends. . . ? At least Mark assumed they were. 

They hadn’t known each other for a very long time, but wasn’t that how friendship worked? You were strangers one moment and inseparable the next. He couldn’t remember how most of his old friends had started hanging out with him, but he assumed most of them had to have started with conversations. 

He thought it was safe to call Jack his friend, especially with the way they laughed and talked like they had been friends for years. 

The walk continued on, and the silence was ended by Jack making another bad joke. Mark countered with his own, and soon they were talking just like before. It took his mind off walking, as well as other things, like what he would do when they got back to the main city. 

He was almost dreading saying goodbye to Jack, and he wasn’t even sure why. Saying goodbye to someone so new to him shouldn’t have been an issue, but then again, mark was always one to form his bonds fast and strong. 

“Jack,” he couldn’t help asking, “I kinda liked talking to you.” He was going to continue, no matter how awkward, but Jack beat him to the chase. 

"Me too, Mark.” A soft smile accompanied the other as he spoke, and Mark wondered if the smile was for him, or if it was just natural. 

“Ah. . . Well, I was going to ask about what happened once we get back to the main city and have to separate.” They were almost there anyway; it wouldn’t be long now. 

“That’s right; I almost forgot about that. . .” There was a lull in the conversation as they both thought once more. “I do want to see you again though; hanging out with you is fun. Maybe we can meet up sometime after this, like, at a certain spot and at a certain time?” 

Mark furrowed his brows in concentration. “That might work, but where, and what time?” 

“Well, it can’t be so far from the city next time. So how about this building here,” Jack pointed at the one they had just passed. “It’s far enough away so that we won’t get caught, probably, and it’s still close to home.” 

Mark agreed with a nod of his head. “As for the time, how about early in the day, like, as soon as it starts to get bright.” He contributed as Jack nodded his own head very enthusiastically. “And we can do it in three days, how about that?” 

Once everything was set up, they parted with a silent wave, and Mark started back to the base, the upcoming meeting already on his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ehh. . . I kind of feel like things are moving too fast, but I do imagine those two as fast friends.   
> I'm nearing double digits in terms of chapters, and I'm happy that I made it this far without giving up or something :) I know a lot of creators don't ever finish or just stop updating, and I don't want to do that, so I'll try to complete this.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark both gets back to the base and meets up with Jack again.

Mark entered the base with a mixture of nerves and happiness. Most of the activities were going on as usual, the only extra addition being an anxious looking Phil hovering by one of the walls. As soon as Phil’s bright blue eyes caught Mark’s own, the other man was rushing forward and wrapping Mark in a hug. 

“Mark, oh thank goodness!” He cried, releasing Mark after a second. “They didn’t notice you were missing until they were almost here, and everyone’s really sorry; it’s just Felix is so forgetful and no one else really knows you yet and-” 

Mark had to cut off the frantic ramblings of the taller man then. “It’s fine, really. I mean, it definitely freaked me out at first, but once I got over the initial panic, it was easy enough to walk back here.” He carefully avoided mentioning Jack. 

“Well, I’m still sorry. If something happened to you, I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself!” While the other man fluttered over him anxiously like a small bird, still visibly upset, they made their way upstairs. “Here,” Phil said once they reached Mark’s room, “you can take the rest of the day off! I’ll even bring you dinner; you must be hungry!” There was no time to argue as the other ran off, and Mark was left in his room. 

\----------- 

The next day Mark ran into both Dan and Felix. Dan seemed happy to see him, although he didn’t hug Mark, and opted for smiling brightly at him and spending as much time talking to him as their jobs allowed. Felix did apologize, cursing his bad memory and seeming almost angry with himself. It eased Mark’s mind to know that people had been genuinely worried about him while he was missing. 

Bob, Wade, and Ethan also managed to sneak up on him and spend some time with him in between their duties. Laughing with his friends certainly was enjoyable, perhaps even more after his short absence. 

Even still, he couldn’t help but wonder what the dynamic would be if a new member was added, namely Jack. Mark was almost positive that the other would fit right into the little group. It made him smile, imagining everyone laughing and joking, and him in the middle, content. 

Only one more day, he told himself, and then he could see Jack again. 

\----------- 

The next day, he managed to get out of the base relatively early in the morning. He told everyone he was going out for a little fresh air, maybe check up on a few spots in the city while he was at it. Nobody questioned it, or perhaps they were all willing to give him his way to make up for leaving him not long ago. 

Either way, it didn’t matter. All he could think about was Jack, and the thoughts both filled him with an anxious energy and an unreasonably happiness. He shouldn’t feel that way - happy anticipation - so soon after meeting Jack, but he couldn’t help it. 

And even still, at the back of his mind, a nagging little voice warned him: He’s going to trick you, betray you; you can’t trust anyone but yourself and your team in this world. 

He tried to bury all of his thoughts until he wasn’t thinking at all. It didn’t really work, but he had fun imagining covering everything up with a thousand giant mattresses, like in a fairy tale he could barely remember anymore. 

Mark was there before he knew it, and walked inside the dull building with a moment’s hesitation. Jack wasn’t there yet, leaving Mark to anxiously sit, bouncing his leg up and down. His head filled with thoughts of everything that could go wrong; he could be in the wrong building, have the wrong day or time, about to be set up. . . 

Luckily, Jack didn’t leave him waiting for long, and after a couple minutes, Mark could here a tell tale whistling of the wind that accompanied the other superpowered man. 

“Mark, hi! I’m happy to see you!” 

Mark looked around for anyone else that might be hiding behind the other, but only found Jack’s sincere smile, large and bright like before. He felt himself relax a little immediately just at the sight of it. 

“Hey. I was kinda worried you’d leave me hanging here,” He put a joking tone to his words, rubbing the back of his neck, trying not to let any real fear show. 

“Yeah right; you think I’d miss a chance to hang out with you?” 

“You falter me,” Mark blushed, and the conversation continued on. 

They sat down and talked. Mark watched Jack’s excited arm movements as he spoke loudly, Irish accent amplified. The other man’s grin was entrancing, taking up most of the bottom half of his face when he laughed and spoke. Jack’s bright blue eyes reminded Mark of Phil’s, and thinking about the both of them made Mark wished he had blue eyes instead of brown. 

There was something about the man - his laugh, his smile, his whole demeanor and personality (all of those things combined and more, really) - that Mark was inherently attracted to. 

As he laughed and talked along with the other, he really couldn’t help thinking that he wouldn’t mind a future that was gray and dull as long as Jack was a splash of color in it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gosh, these chapters always look shorter once in ao3's format or whatever it is. but then again, I guess about 900 words isn't all that much anyway!  
> Anyway, here's chapter 9 for anyone who was looking forward to it!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark has an increasingly awful day.

Mark felt happy more than ever now. 

It was such a statement that it took him a whole sleepless night to really come to terms with it. 

It had been a couple months (or at least by his messed up time measurements), and with the addition of semi-regular visits to Jack, as well as the consistent schedule of life and new friend's, he felt okay. 

Maybe he wasn’t overjoyed or anything, but he assumed that feeling okay and good was the new world’s version of that. There was no doubt that things would never be the same as before, but he was starting to be okay with how things were now. 

He would manage. It would be fine. Everything would work out. . . 

Even if that wasn’t how things seemed when Mark woke up with a strangled gasp, sweat rolling down his face and stinging his bleary eyes. 

He hugged himself as he trembled, feeling the coolness of his skin contrast with the sweat rolling off him. He tried to remember what had happened in his nightmare, but found himself struggling to recall the events. 

Something about his old home. His brother’s face melting into nothing, a tortured scream that could have belonged to anyone he used to know. His new friend's disappearing into nothing, looking at him with eyes disgusted, disappointed, and scared. The rest of the world, already grey and dark crumbling into dust, into nothingness as the sun blinked out like a light bulb left on for too long. And most importantly, Jack, who looked at him almost lovingly, smile in place, before morphing into something else entirely, with sharp death and claws and terrifyingly dark eyes. 

Everything he felt seemed so real - the terror, the betrayal, the confusion. He could even still feel it all now, behind the rapid beating of his heart gone wild in his chest. 

He whimpered weakly as he gripped his arms tighter with clammy hands. The touch grounded him, helped in the process of calming him down. He hadn’t had a nightmare for awhile now, and, as he lay there, couldn’t help thinking it was a sign for things gone wrong in the future. 

\------------ 

The rest of the day he was exhausted and paranoid, jumping at little sounds and glaring at the blurry shapes in the edges of his vision. His friends, if they noticed, didn’t say anything, only laid occasional concerned hands on his shoulders that he was too tired to even notice. 

He couldn’t decide if he was lucky or not to not be seeing Jack today. On one hand, Jack would definitely notice his mood, and would definitely question him, probably pushing too hard for answers Mark didn’t entirely have. On the other, Jack always made him feel better, and Mark was almost sure that today would’ve been no different. 

For better or worse, he stayed around the base all day doing simple tasks. If you asked him what he did that day, he couldn’t have told you, each task only completed because his hands and body knew what they were doing so well. 

His day was bad enough already, and then , of course, it just had to get a thousand times worse. 

Sometime during his thoughtless labor, Felix and a crew of about five other, bruised and bloody, burst through the door of the base. Felix looked enraged, cursing in Swedish while holding his bleeding arm. The others had a mix of emotions painted onto their faces, some anger, others disappointment, all unhappy. 

“What happened!?” Someone else shouted at the broken group, beating Mark to the chase. 

“Goddamn, fucking Septic! I cannot believe that they had the nerve to-” The rest of Felix’s sentence was a mix of Swedish and English that was basically incomprehensible, and had Mark’s tired eyes narrowing in confusion. 

Someone else from the group, a girl with a cut above her right eye and bruise and burns all over her arms quiety informed them of what had actually happened. They’d been ambushed by a larger group of Septic’s, with him at the lead. Of course, they’d been beaten, and the supplies they’d collected had been taken. 

Mark had immediately felt guilt fill him, thinking it was his fault in some way. Maybe he had let something about Felix’s supply runs slip and Jack had taken advantage of it. There was a fifty percent chance that he was to blame for his friends being hurt. The thought made him feel cold and sick, and he gripped his right arm tightly once more, suddenly scared. 

He knew it had been a bad idea. Why? Why on earth would he let it get this far? How could he? All this time he’d been worried about Jack betraying him while he was committed the biggest betrayal of all. 

The urge to throw up filled him, and he couldn’t help himself before he was racing out the door past everyone. He hid in Phil’s forest, trying to let the gentle whispers of the bright green trees and plants calm him. He could have laid there for any amount of time - hours, days, months. It didn’t matter as long as he didn’t have to interact with anyone inside the base. 

He knew that even at a gentle prodding at his frantic actions would leave him spilling his guts in front of everybody who trusted him. He couldn’t lose his friend's; it would effectively destroy him beyond repair. And what if they kicked him out? He would die out there alone, and they all knew it. 

Sick to his stomach and tired to the bone, Mark lay there and hid from the people he was just starting to become comfortable around.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, this is probably really bad. I'm pretty sure Mark overreacted a bit, although I like to think that the lack of sleep and the guilt just got to him. . .   
> Anyway, here is chapter 10, and with it, some conflict and/or angst.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark has a long talk with Felix.

He didn’t fall asleep as he lay in the garden. His brain was moving way too fast to sleep, and he hardly thought he would get any rest later either. 

Things were just starting to look up, and of course there had to be some huge conflict to ruin it all. 

Ambushed. To plan an ambush, one had to know before hand what the other group was doing, and than sabotage it. How else would Jack have known if he hadn’t given something away? And it was a very plausible concept, as well, considering that Mark often let things slip from his mouth with knowledge or care. 

In summary, it was probably his fault, which hurt him more than anything, because he hadn’t meant to. Even if he liked Jack, he would never have purposely tried to get his other friends hurt. But, they wouldn’t believe that, he was sure. They would see him as a bad person and kick him out or hunt him down or kill him. 

He couldn’t even explain his behavior to the group without giving something away. One nightmare was not a reasonable explanation for bolting out the door and nearly crying, at least in Mark’s eyes. . . 

And that meant that Jack had only befriended him to betray him. The thought of it made him sick to his stomach. Jack had seemed so nice and sincere. . . How could it all just be an act? 

Mark almost refused to believe it, but at the same time, what else could it be? A coincidence? But even with this irrefutable knowledge, his brain still scrambled, coming up with ways to explain what had happened in a way that didn’t incriminate either Jack or Mark. 

Yeah no, he wouldn’t be getting any sleep that night. 

He didn’t try to leave the garden until the sky was dark, and even then he was reluctant. 

There was something both peaceful and disturbing about the world outside at night. The eternal blackness all around him was silent and welcoming, and half of him welcomed the peace while the other creamed at him to run away as fast as he could. That childish fear of the dark, or perhaps, less of the dark and more of what used the dark to hide in, was what ended up driving him to his feet. 

Mark stopped at the entrance of the base, almost scared to come back inside. An anxious feeling settled in the bottom of his stomach like a heavy rock, making him feel wobbly enough to collapse. He was sure that if he thought about what they would say or do when he came in, he would go back and sit in the forest, even if the darkness surrounded him on all sides and suffocated him. 

He entered the tall building with a deep breath, trying and failing to let go of his worries. There was no one left inside the main floor. Of course, everybody was asleep at this point, or in some cases, at least in their rooms. 

Relief swept over him so strongly in that moment that he found himself sitting down in one of the chairs, his legs weaker than ever. He closed his eyes for a moment, letting the relief flow through him. Of course, he’d still have to explain himself in the morning, but he had a feeling that a good night’s sleep would do him good. 

At this point, despite his earlier reserves about sleeping, Mark was exhausted. He could’ve fallen asleep where he sat if he let himself. 

“Mark.” A voice spoke out, sounding tired. Mark immediately recognized the voice, and the accent that accompanied it. Felix. 

As the other man came into the dull light of the building, Mark could see his bandaged arm and his tired face. His shoulders drooped in a distinctly unhappy manner, and Mark remembered how Felix had been the one leading the group that was attacked. 

Mark didn’t say anything, assuming the other man had something to say to him. 

For awhile, Felix didn’t say anything either, staring at him with a mixture of emotions in his eyes that were impossible to distinguish. Maybe sadness, maybe concern, maybe anger. When he did speak, his voice was quiet, slow, like he wasn’t quite sure what he was about to say. 

“Are you okay?” 

The words surprised Mark, and looking up at Felix’s face, they might have surprised him too. It certainly wasn’t what Mark was expecting; he had imagined an interrogation, or maybe a scolding, but not concern. 

He had no idea how to respond either, so he found himself simply shrugging in answer. Felix sighed and took a seat next to him. There was a feeling of thickness that settled around the two of them, neither willing to say what they had to say. It was almost stifling, constraining, and made Mark want to run back outside to the pitch blackness. 

“I’m sorry.” 

It took him a moment to realize it had been him to say the words, and he didn’t even know what they meant or what he was apologizing for. And yet, the simple phrase stood out there, untouched by either of them, pristine and present even in the silence. 

“For what?” 

“I don’t know. . . Freaking out, I guess - running like that.” 

“You can’t always control your emotions. Heck, we’ve all been. . . different, more volatile, since the explosion thing.” Felix gave a little half smile that definitely did not reach his eyes. Mark tried to return it, but ultimately failed; he could feel his face twitch with the effort before giving up entirely. 

“I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” mark groaned, putting his face in his hands, “I feel like I’m doing everything wrong. . . All that happened was a little nightmare and it destroyed me.” He conveniently left out anything about Jack, although his good conscience was screaming at him to fess up while he still had the chance. 

“Well, I wouldn’t downsize nightmares to a little thing. A lot of us have them, especially about family members and friends after what happened. Nobody could ever be ready for losing everybody they knew and cared about without warning, or even with warning. If there’s something wrong with you, then there’s something wrong with all of us left.” 

“Why do you think we’re still here? Something wipes out the entire population and leaves behind a bunch of kids. It’d be so much easier if no one was left at all, and than no one would have to deal with it.” 

Felix fixed him with a sad look, but it was also filled with determination. 

“I know how you feel - it doesn’t make any sense at all, for this to happen. Remembering my parents, my sister, my friends. . . It makes me so sad, so angry. Angry at the world maybe, because there’s no good reason for anything that’s happened. It’s hard not to wish that you could’ve disappeared as well, as horrible as it sounds.” He took a deep breath and met Mark’s eyes firmly, gripping his arms with clammy and shockingly warm hands. 

“But that is not going to happen, to you or me. All of us have to focus on what makes us happy, even the small things. If the world decided that we needed to live, than let’s show it that we’re going to fucking live the best we can. If life is determined to beat you to the ground, than getting up and living high in the clouds is the most important thing of all.” 

At that point, the Swedish man was so pumped up that his voice, while not loud, was thick with his accent and full of emotion. He let go of Mark and they sat there for awhile, the silence of the empty night returning. 

“Thanks,” he said, and his own voice was thick with emotion. 

He was feeling better, although still exhausted. He could live for what made him happy, sure. As he headed off to his room, however, he couldn’t help but wonder. . . What if part of what made him happiest was Jack?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so this chapter is longer than the others, but boy, did I have fun writing it! I felt like Felix needed a bit more screen time, even if I don't watch many of his videos. I mean, not much happens in this chapter, and no conflict is resolved, but at least Mark and Felix are a bit closer.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark meets up with Jack to clear some things up.

Mark faced the world the next day with as much determination as he possibly could with two and a half hours of sleep in his pocket. He told everyone he was fine; it was just the combination of sleepless nights and stress that had finally gotten to him. It wasn’t exactly a lie, he was just leaving out important parts of the real reason. . . 

Either way, and despite his constant reassurance, everyone treated Mark like a corner animal, injured and coiled up like a snake ready to strike. They either conveniently ignored him or only spoke a little to him. Dan and Phil regarded him with slight caution, but talked to him quite a bit before heading off for their guarding duties together. 

The quiet between him, Wade, Bob, and Ethan was extremely awkward at first. But that ended shortly, and they fell back into the same rhythm as always soon enough, with only a slight edge to their tones to remind them of the previous night. Each of them, at some point during the day, pulled him aside from the group to quietly confirm that he was alright, to which he gave the same explanation as he had to the others. 

As they had asked, Mark felt a spark of some raw emotion deep in his chest. It was hard to explain, or even decipher, but he knew it was some semblance of love. Love, he thought, came in many different forms. This one was different than the kind he had for family, and different even from his feelings of his old friends. It was something entirely new, which he both appreciated and feared in almost equal measures. 

Felix didn’t speak to him at all, but then again, Mark barely saw him all day either. He saw the Swedish man once that day, and he had just smiled at Mark kindly. The smile had a lot buried beneath it, despite its normal appearance, and Mark smiled back, although he was pretty sure his lips turned up in more of a grimace than a smile. 

\-------- 

The next day, he was determined. He woke up slightly more refreshed, and came to a sudden decision in his mind. The question of whether or not to go ahead and visit Jack again on the scheduled day (which was today now, he thought, slightly panicked) had been plaguing him since the event. But that morning, he knew, just like he knew his name was Mark and he knew he was twenty-three years old. 

He was going to see Jack. 

He had to see Jack. 

And it wasn’t even because he liked Jack and his company. Or how they could probably talk the whole day away and he wouldn’t even care. Or how Mark could tell Jack stories from his past almost without remembering everything was gone, because Jack was so relatable that he may as well be talking to his brother all over again, spilling secrets high up in their favorite tree. 

It wasn’t because of any of that,even though he was pretty sure Jack was his closest friend by now. 

He just had to know. 

Because not knowing was agony. He wasn’t going to torture himself longer than he had to. Mark would find out what had happened one way or another today. 

He left the base with an excuse thrown over his shoulder, determination sharp in his eyes, and a thousand tiny thoughts running circles around his head. 

\---------- 

Mark got there before Jack, like always. Jack may be fast, but he somehow was always later than him. It wasn’t like Mark minded; it gave him time to organize his tangled mess of garbled thoughts. 

And then there was the sound of air moving fast, making room for an inhumanly fast object. And Jack was standing right in front of him, blue eyes bright and loud like always, smile lighting up the post-apocalyptic world better than any torch. 

Mark immediately felt angry words dying in his throat, and he could only look at Jack. He swallowed, gripping his arms harder. 

“Mark?” Both a thick accent and a smattering of concern were laced in the word. Of course Jack wouldn’t make it easy! He would be concerned, like any other great person Mark knew! He would put a hand on Mark’s shoulder and look up at him with emotions expressed easy in those crystal orbs in his skull. 

What had he expected, really? 

Jack wasn’t a bad person. 

“Hey, Mark, really, are you okay?” And now his voice was gentle, less loud and affronting. Of course it was. He gulped. 

“Oh yeah, I’m fine really. Just bad dreams, I swear.” Jack fixed him with a suspicious stare, and was probably about to comment, when Mark found himself talking more, almost against his will. 

“And also you attacked Felix and he came back to the base cursing and screaming into the night, and. . . and, and I just feel so guilty, because look at what I’ve been doing! It’s all wrong, and I know it’s wrong, but I don’t want to stop hanging out with you because you’re really cool and I like you a lot, but-” 

“Whoa, Mark , calm down!” Now both of Jack’s hands were on his shoulders, gripping hard and grounding him to the earth. He suddenly realized how his words had gotten away from him, spilling secrets that maybe were best left in the dark. He had barely took a breath the whole speech, and suddenly couldn’t get enough air, sucking in huge gasps of it at a time. 

“It’s not wrong.” Jack’s voice was soft, and his unfocused eyes found Jack’s. 

“H-huh?” 

“Seeing each other isn’t wrong, silly. Remember when I told you we were all just people? That none of us were really evil, because people is all we are?” Mark nodded. “Well, we’re still just people, alright? You’re not bad for seeing me, and I’m not bad for seeing you. It’s just people seeing people. It’s not Mark seeing Septic, the great bad villain, alright?” 

Mark nodded again, a little weakly. He hated how his resolve just crumbled to ashes in front of people all the time. He was always the weaker one when it came to these conversations. 

“And hey, I did attack Pewds - or Felix, whatever, but he’s attacked me before. We get each other back, and no one ever gets too hurt. I’m sorry if that freaked you out, really, I am.” Jack added on, letting go of his shoulders at last. 

“I-I didn’t tip you off by accident, did I? Like tell you where they were going without realizing it?” 

“No, I swear it was all just a huge coincidence.” 

That made Mark feel better, and he felt a sigh of relief leave him. At least now he could rest relatively easy knowing it hadn’t been his fault. And than Jack tensed beside him, suddenly alert, and Mark turned around to see Felix standing right at the doorway of the building, mouth open and electricity crackling all around him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not too sure about this, but I guess here it is. A little late, I think, but I *am* a pro at procrastinating, so that's to be expected. Either way, I hope you enjoy, and thank you for all the comments, reads, and kudus!


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felix and Jack have a fight, hopefully ending with an attempt at peace.

“Mark?” Felix whispered, gaining his voice after a beat of silence. 

“W-what are you doing here?” Mark felt himself ask, and immediately wished he could take it back, knowing there were a million better things he could have said to diffuse the situation. 

“What am I doing here!? What are you doing here!?” His voice was loud and high, thick with his accent. “I come after you because I’m actually concerned that you dissapear after a goddamn mental breakdown, and I find you with him!?” Felix sounded more angry than Mark had ever seen him, the electric sparks of energy still shooting off him in sporadic blasts. 

“I can explain. . .” Mark tried, even though he had no idea what he was supposed to be explaining. His own voice sounded weak to his ears, and to match, his legs shook and felt just about ready to collapse. 

“Explain what? The fact that you’re hanging out with the only enemy we have?” Felix had entered the room at this point, and was advancing further into the suddenly too small building. 

“Hey, don’t talk to him like that!” Jack interrupted, also moving closer to Felix, stepping in front of Mark like he was a child in need of protecting. 

Mark felt like telling Jack there was really no need to defend him - he wasn’t five - but his throat felt like it was closing up. The room was too small to hold all the tension inside, the walls too close, and the increasingly aggressive looks his two friends were giving each other wasn’t really helped. 

He couldn’t help but back up by reflex as the crackling tension in the air grew. 

“You don’t tell me how I can talk to my teammates,” Felix growled. 

“He’s not your anything,” Jack spat back, suddenly launching himself at the other man with his superhuman speed. 

Jack, despite being smaller than Felix, managed to get a few good punches in, slugging the Swedish man hard in the face. Felix, in his surprise, shot electricity in every direction, obviously figuring at least one attack would hit his target. Sure enough, Jack let out a cry a second later, his speed not enough to avoid the shower of raw energy. 

Mark backed up more, feeling his back hit a cold wall. He sank down as he watched the fight play out. It could go any way, really, and either way it went, someone was going to get hurt. 

And it was all Mark’s fault. 

The thought occurred to him suddenly, making him feel heavy and tired and so incredibly guilty. They wouldn’t be fighting if he hadn’t fallen asleep that day, or if had ignored Jack all together, or if he had acted with a single iota of sense. 

The fight was still going on, but he didn’t really hear it. Mark’s head felt foggy, like it was full of fluff. Jack was wincing as he got hit, than running again. Felix looked angry, perhaps driven by the pain and annoyance of the hit and run tactic being used against him. It was all dull information Mark could see, but not really process. 

“Aghhh!” Felix yelped as Jack tackled him to the ground. The both fell into a messy heap of limbs as a horrible cracking sound echoed around the abandoned building. The noise jolted Mark out of whatever space he had been lost in, and he found himself standing up and walking forward on shaky legs. 

The two men were in a pile on the pavement, Jack more or less sitting on top of Felix. A dark crimson liquid was pooling underneath the blonde’s head, and it occurred to Mark that blood looked nothing like the cherry red stuff in movies. 

Mark was grateful that Jack looked done with fighting. His Irish friend was looking at the blood with an expression of shock, like he hadn’t even thought of the fact that Felix had blood inside of him as well. 

Despite Jack’s new passive state, Mark pulled him up off of Felix without a word, maybe with a little more force than necessary. His super strength was coursing through his veins, even though he felt like sitting down and never getting up again. He extended his hand for Felix, who was looking up at him with bleary eyes, blinking rapidly and groaning. 

“Ugh, what hit me?” He asked as he grabbed Mark’s hand. 

“A small Irish missile,” Mark tried to joke, hoping to lighten the situation. 

“Fuck; I always knew Ireland had it out for Sweden. It’s the leprechauns, man.” Felix played along. 

None of them laughed, and the tension was still very much present, but the bad jokes made Mark feel just a little bit better, and almost got him to smile. 

“Alright, now we’re going to sit down and talk some things through,” Mark spoke, taking both Jack and Felix by the arm and leading them to some old chairs in the room. “Promise me you guys won’t just randomly start throwing punches, alright?” He said, half as a joke and half serious. “Trust me; I’m not up for fighting just yet.” Felix groaned. 

“Now, why do you two hate each other so much?” He looked between the two as he asked, gauging their reactions. 

“I wouldn’t say we hate each other,” Felix replied hesitantly, as if he wasn’t quite believing what he was saying. “Or at least,” Jack added, “we didn’t hate each other at first. . .” 

“At first?” 

“When we both got to the city after that explosion thing, we had each kind of gained a following - it’s how our groups started. There’s strength in numbers, ya know? But yeah, our groups were pretty large, so resources became a problem with us both here.” Jack explained, rubbing the base of his neck as he spoke. 

Felix picked up after him, a serious look on his face. “And when you’re constantly fighting against a person, always after the same things, you kind of grow to resent that person. The more we fought, the more I hated him.” The man suddenly looked sheepish. “I just kind of built him up as this awful person who always did what he did to bother me. I guess I kind of forgot that he was just trying to stay alive, too.” 

Jack looked surprised. “Yeah, it’s easy to demonize people you don’t really know. And this is rich because I always tell Mark how I’m not really his enemy and all that. I haven’t really been heeding my own advice.” 

Mark smiled at his friend. “Well, maybe both groups could work a little more on not stealing from each other, and working together?” He knew it wasn’t going to be easy to unravel the resentment the two leaders had built over the months, but he’d be damned if he wasn’t going to try. 

“Disregarding the fact that I’m pretty sure I have a concussion, I think I might be willing to give that a shot.” Felix stated grandly. “With some exceptions, that is!” Jack, in response, nodded his head slightly, obviously still wary, but thankfully seemingly willing to try. 

Mark felt his own face twitch up in a half smile as the two made agreements on either side of him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so first of all, let me apologize for this being three days late. I went on a trip and didn't get a chance to write/upload this before I left, and I unfortunately don't own a laptop. Secondly, let me apologize because this is really bad. I struggled a lot while writing this chapter, if you can't tell by reading it! I just feel like the conflict is barely a conflict at all, and I kind of just swept it under the carpet, almost. Hopefully, to make up for this, I'm going to try and post the next chapter tomorrow, and ideally make it better than this one.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things move along, and everything fits into place in Mark's imperfect world.

Mark was happy to say that things were getting progressively better. 

The world was still grey and dull and empty, and no miracle happened to fix everything that had happened, but things got better as much as things could get better. 

The slow process of merging the two groups of the city was coming along nicely. Jack and Felix were completely comfortable with each other, if not close enough to be considered friends. People from each group became friends. Arin was basically attached to someone named Dan from Jack’s group. Dan and Phil, while remaining as close as close could get, befriended two others named Chris and PJ. jack and Mark got to stay friends, and Mark introduced Jack to Bob, Wade, and Ethan with bated breath. He really had no reason to worry, as they had a tight-knit friendship now. 

Everyone, perhaps, was sick of the fighting. All they had to worry about was staying alive, and together was better than separated. 

Mark still had nightmares and trouble sleeping. He would stare up at the ceiling like it held all the answers to his questions. He would think about his brother and his parents and his old college professors. He would wake up from a dream of Jack’s eyes melting in his head and his skin peeling off, or from the images of his friend’s disappointed eyes, dull and lifeless. Mark still woke up from sleep ready to cry, but he always had people in the day to cheer him right back up. 

Sometimes, Mark would spend the whole day with Jack. They would talk and laugh, blissfully alone. Everybody teased them for it, but Mark could care less. 

It was on one of those days, when he and Jack were walking through the city. The large buildings had mostly remained empty, the only thing inhabiting them the soft whistling of the wind rushing through them. They towered over the two like giants, unwavering in their death. Mark had clutched Jack’s hand tighter. 

That was the thing; they had only gotten closer and closer. Mark loved the sound of Jack’s laugh, or how loud the small Irish man could get. How he raved about certain topics, or blushed when people teased before cursing them out. How he would curse when Mark liked to show off and lift Jack high above his head using his strength, spouting curse words while laughing the entire time. How he smiled at Mark like Dan had smiled at Phil that one day in the parking lot. 

Mark was almost certain that he had fallen in love with Jack without even realizing it. 

So he just gripped Jack’s hand tighter, and kept walking forward. 

They stopped at the edge of the city, and just looked at the grey clouds on the horizon. They didn’t say anything, but that was fine, because they could both enjoy each other’s company without the use of words. 

The clouds were always so dark and overbearing, creeping up on Mark and letting out silent reminders that they were always there. He hadn’t seen the sun since that day he had watched the sun set and the stars appear, right before the white flash had erased everything. He hadn’t seen the stars since that day either. 

But when he turned to look at Jack, he swore he could see a little bit of the stars in the crystal blue orbs. And before he knew what he was doing, he was leaning forward and connecting their lips. 

Mark immediately pulled himself away, unable to even enjoy the kiss. He’d bet all his money (that is, if he had any) that Jack hated him or something now. They was always a backlash, and he figured he’d fucked up real good, making it weird between him and his best friend. 

Jack was looking at him with wide eyes, clear and so, so beautiful, and Mark felt a pang of hurt in his chest because how could he have messed this up? 

Before he could apologize, or say anything for that matter, Jack was reconnecting their lips for another kiss. It was soft, tender, and Mark had to remind himself that it was Jack. He was kissing Jack, and he was pretty sure his brain just short circuited. 

“God, I’ve been waiting for fucking ever for that, you arse!” Jack laughed, and gripped Mark’s hand tighter. 

Mark laughed, threw an arm over Jack’s shoulder, and covered his face with the other hand, surprised by a sudden light shining at them both. He watched in awe as, fingers clasped in Jack’s sweaty hand. He heard Jack gasp, and heard his own exhale sharp and short. And, for the first time since the end of the world, the clouds parted and revealed the sun, shining as brightly as only stars in this world can shine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy heck, that's the ending. Sorry I didn't warn anyone that the ending was creeping up; I didn't know myself until I wrote this chapter. It seemed like a good place to end things, cheesy as it was! I had a lot of fun writing this, and I'm really happy to finish a multi chaptered fic on this site. Thank you to everyone who read and commented; I loved hearing from you guys!

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so this is the first chapter of what I hope will be a story I finish. It's a little cliche, I guess, but, oh well. If there's any errors I missed, please let me know so I can fix it!


End file.
